This type of thinking is much different than of illustration. An idea requires the aid of physical objects and the repurposing of the objects to complete a function: game idea + ( tennis ball + carpet roll ) = fun. Whereas with illustration, I was following an internal, more bodily idea, which would continue with me through high school and most of college.

Much ( 2014) Dimensions variable. Wax, copper, steel, glass bottles, leather, tar, coffee, wood and concrete.

The concept of the “artist studio” has a broad range of meanings, especially in contemporary practice. The idea of the artist toiling away alone in a room may not necessarily reflect what many artists do from day to day anymore. Describe your studio practice and how it differs from (or is the same as) traditional notions of “being in the studio.”

I hold very little attachment to the concept of the “studio” and yet, practice is an all-encompassing concept that I hold onto dearly. You could say that I have a studio, but it’s also where I sleep, eat and live. But neither is it my apartment. I can’t quite put a name to it, which is what makes it exciting to me. It’s a basement space, which creates a dark, brooding environment that one may relate to the diluted image of the “lone artist,” but there is also a backyard, where I do most of the dirty work. Much of my physical work involves metal, which I either fabricate in my room or at my boss’s fabrication studio ( GOSPAD inc. ), depending on the nature of the work.On the other hand, many of my ideas are developed while I’m walking around or lying down and have little to do with my location. When I’m not thinking about immediate problems, I’m working out ideas. I’ve always romanticized about the idea of a definitive “studio space,” where you walk in, put down your stuff and engage; however, I’ve learned to accept that my brain doesn’t have an off switch.Therefore, I just live in it and try to make the best out of it.

What unique roles do you see yourself as the artist playing that you may not have envisioned yourself in when you first started making art?

As of the past year, I’ve been working with a good friend of mine on a flexible entity called United Projects. United Projects exists to encourage the exchange of information and ideas through sharing open discussions, project development, resources, space and skills. Much of this exchange is done through the curation of group shows that present and rely on a latent concept. I’ve always been a heavy proponent of collaboration as a necessity, but was never drawn to curating. It’s becoming more clear to me that curating a group show could function to propose or investigate and idea, just as putting materials together to create a sculpture or installation can. The advantage that curating has on studio work is, being that your materials are people with ideas of their own, you can create a context and guidelines, but you have limited control over what comes out. I think you learn a lot from rolling the dice in this way.